Winter casts its own mythical light over the Acropolis.
Photo: Manos Chatzikonstantis
To visit Athens in winter is to encounter a city of locals. Cafés, bars and clubs buzz day and night, bakeries brim with traditional festive treats, and you can still dine outdoors in many Athenian squares. Without the crowds, getting into the city’s famous archeological sites is a breeze—and on the first Sunday of the month from November until March, admission to all the major monuments is free. You might even get to see the Acropolis covered in snow (it does happen!). Here are some more of our favourite reasons to visit the Greek capital in winter.
Great things to do in Athens in December
- Get into the Christmas spirit on Syntagma Square with its giant illuminated tree and twinkling sailboat (decorating boats is a Yuletide tradition in Greece).
- Celebrate Christmas and New Year in style at one of Athens’ Michelin-starred restaurants. Most fine dining restaurants and five-star hotels in Athens offer special festive tasting menus. It’s Christmas, after all!
- Hit the ice at one of the outdoor skating rinks that pop up across Athens. Ice Arena at the Megaron Athens Concert Hall and the free ice rink at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre are two of the best.
- Guarantee good fortune for the coming year by picking up traditional good luck charms (or gouria) from Athens museum gift stores and Greek design shops. Pomegranates, boats and myrtle leaves all bring protection and prosperity, according to ancient Greek mythology.
- Get a taste for cocktails made with Greek spirits like ouzo, raki and mastiha, blended on the Athenian bar circuit by some of the best bartenders in the business.
Strike a Christmas pose!
Photo: Thomas Gravanis
Syntagma Square lights up for Christmas.
Photo: Thomas Gravanis
Join the locals by:
Baking (or just eating) your body weight in two traditional Christmas biscuits: sugar-dusted kourabiedes and honey-soaked melamakarona. It wouldn’t be Christmas in Athens without them.
Plan your trip around:
Every December, Athens puts on a sparkling line-up of live Christmas shows. Choose from children’s favourites like Disney on Ice at the Faliron Olympic arena, the Nutcracker at Megaron Concert Hall, or a classical concert at the Greek National Opera.
What weather to expect?
15°/8° C
Great things to do in Athens in January
- Turn up the heat at an authentic hammam. Get scrubbed and relaxed at Hammam Baths Athens in Plaka, Al Hammam, or the authentic Polis Hammam in Psirri.
- Snap up a designer original from a hot Athenian fashion label. Fantastic bargains can be found in the January sales for budget-conscious fashionistas.
- Check out the funky live music scene in Athens. Choose between up-and-coming Greek rock and hip hop bands or a riotous night out at a bouzouki club. Alternatively, chill out to live jazz with Acropolis views at the Acropolis Museum’s Friday jazz evenings.
- Take in a rousing opera at the Greek National Opera’s main stage, the Stavros Niarchos Hall, to appreciate state-of-the-art acoustics and a modern La Scala aesthetic.
- There’s more to Athens than the Acropolis. Explore the city’s modern architectural heritage on a guided tour guaranteed to change the way you look at Athens.
Visit Athens in winter for a different perspective on the city's architectural treasures.
Photo: Thomas Gravanis
Will you get the lucky coin in the vasilopita?
Photo: Eleni Veziri
Join the locals by:
Looking for the lucky coin (flouri) in a vasilopita, the new year’s cake sold at bakeries and supermarkets everywhere in the run-up to New Year. Or smashing a pomegranate over your threshold. Both are popular traditions to usher in good fortune for the year ahead.
Plan your trip around:
Ring in the New Year with free concerts, fireworks and games on and around Syntagma Square. Or treat the kids to a carousel ride in the Zappeion. New Year’s Day is a bigger celebration for Greeks than Christmas.
What weather to expect?
13°/7° C
Roll out the barrels at a traditional basement taverna.
Photo: Eleni Veziri
Great things to do in Athens in February
- Embrace the party spirit of Apokries, Greece's version of Carnival, that stretches over three weeks in the lead-up to Lent. Not comfortable donning a fancy dress costume on holiday? Witness the merriment at the many free celebrations around Athens.
- With Dry January behind you, warm up with some bracing reds at an Athenian wine bar. Explore the great Greek grape at a wine tasting masterclass at the Hotel Grande Bretagne’s elegant wine library.
- While away a wintery evening at an authentic rebetiko taverna where musicians play nostalgic Greek blues music.
- Or take it down a level (literally) at a koutouki—a traditional basement taverna, usually lined with barrels of wine.
- Discover the hiker’s heaven of Parnitha National Park, 35 km from the centre of Athens. You might spot deer on mountain trails. Refuel with bean soup served by the fireplace at Mpafi mountain shelter, where you can even spend the night.
- Cosy up with your Valentine at one of Athens’ atmospheric arthouse cinemas. Your choices include red-velveted theatres and listed historic monuments.
Carnival comes to the streets of Athens.
Photo: Amalia Kovaiou
Warm up with meat treats on Smoky Thursday.
Photo: Eleni Veziri
Join the locals by:
Eating meat! The streets of Athens are perfumed with the aroma of barbecued meat during Apokries, or Carnival. Especially on Tsiknopempti (‘Smoky Thursday’), a night of carnivorous feasting, 11 days before the Lenten fast begins.
What weather to expect?
14°/7° C